Tech Support Career Outlook

According to Computerworld’s 2015 Forecast survey, “30% of respondents said they plan to hire for this skill in the next 12 months.” US News says the median salary for a computer support specialist is $60,180. Keep calm, you’re more likely to start in the $30,000 range.

“30% of respondents said they plan to hire for this skill in the next 12 months.”

According to another Computerworld article “IT jobs will grow 22% through 2020, says U.S.“, the growth projections aren’t to be relied on. In the article, Ron Hira, an associate professor of public policy at the Rochester Institute of Technology said,

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“Volatile occupations tend to be subject to bad forecasts, and it’s clear that computer occupation employment levels are very hard to forecast.”

There’s No Life Like IT

Computers run 24/7. Consider that. Tech support workers often work in shifts and are expected to be on-call. You also tend to hear only about the problems, and people are often in a foul mood when you meet them. It can be a pretty thankless job. In fact, you may even shoulder the blame for things beyond your control.

Make sure it’s a lifestyle that you really want and can live with. Make sure that your spouse or other people in your life can live with it as well. If you’re good with that, carry on reading to see how to break into the career.

Know Your Stuff

You need, “…some computer knowledge, but not necessarily a post-secondary degree.”

A degree in computer science, or something similar, would be your best bet and carry you further up the career ladder. Still, a college certificate or associate degree will take you pretty far. Those take less time and less money, so if time and money are a concern this is a good path.

The CompTIA A+ certificationis arguably the best place to start. You’ll get a solid foundation in the technology and customer service skills. From there you can continue with other CompTIA certifications or move into more vendor specific certification programs. Microsoft, Cisco, Apple, and Linux11 Shortcuts For Learning Linux In Record Time11 Shortcuts For Learning Linux In Record TimeIf you'd like to learn Linux, but want some ways to speed up the process, here are ten shortcuts you can use to learn as fast as possible.Read More all have certification programs that are highly valued in the IT world. Plus, they tend to be more up to date than a college or university program.

The complete package is a blend of formal education and certification. It’s not necessary, but it’s also not frowned upon. Most people in tech support don’t start out with that but build up to it over the years.

Show Your Stuff

You’ve got your diploma, degree, certifications…all the proof that you have the basic skills. So do a few thousand other people. What can you do to make sure that you get the interview?

Highlight Transferable Skills

What’s a transferable skill?

Here’s an example: you’ve never worked in tech support before, but you have worked in an oil change garage. There you performed inspections, solved small mechanical problems, recorded your work, interacted with the customer, and maybe did a little sales. You did all that in about 30 minutes.

Dig deep into your experience. Find those things that the job requires that you didn’t even realize you were already doing. Those are the things that will show you’ve got more going for you than just book learning.

It’s Not an Interview, It’s an Audition

You know they’ve read your cover letter and resume, and they’ve researched you online. They’ve decided about 95% whether you’re the one for the job. Don’t go in there expecting to regurgitate what they already know about you, and impress them.

Look up different types of interviews, too. Sometimes the answers to the questions aren’t as important as your response to the situation. Maybe they make you wait, and have the receptionist chat you up. That’s a good way to see how you are with someone who doesn’t hold your future in their hands. Do you treat them with as much respect as you would your future boss?

They might walk you into a room with several interviewers, just to see how you respond to pressure from groups. They may even pop a time-restricted quiz on you. It might have something to do with a ‘right fit’ test for the job. Be prepared, don’t get thrown off. If you get the job, you’re going to be walking into unknown situations every day for years. Prove you can handle it.

It Ain’t Over, Even When It’s Over

The end of the interview isn’t the end of the trial. Think customer care. When your customer walks out the door, you want them to know you’re still there for him, next time he needs a hand. Some may think it’s old-fashioned, but sending a thank you card or a brief, but professional, thank you e-mailHow Writing Amazing Emails Can Further Your CareerHow Writing Amazing Emails Can Further Your CareerSending professional emails gives an intangible boost to your online (and offline) reputation. The ultimate yardstick of artful emailing is if you can bag a job or land a gig with just an impressive email....Read More is just good manners. Manners are no longer something everyone has — it’s a skill in itself.

If you get the call that you didn’t get the job, it’s okay to ask why. But do it in a way that shows you want to learn what that company needs so that you might learn it to improve yourself. In the biz, that’s called initiative. Another tech support skill.

Get to Work

That’s it. You’ve got the tech skills and the soft skills. You’ve presented yourself professionally in a resume, interview, and online. All that’s left to do is keep shaking the trees and see what fruit comes down. Stay positive, be patient and persistent. Keep learning. That job, and career, will come.

Are you working on a help desk or in technical support? Got any tips for the newcomers? Are you a hiring manager? What would make a candidate stand out to you? Been working on getting the job? Ask your questions here, one of our authors or readers might be able to help you.

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LB

August 27, 2016 at 6:37 pm

I worked in ISP tech, and in the interview, talk about how important it is to win a customer's trust and confidence, because right off the bat, you reassure , " rest assured Mr. Customer, I can help you ". Tell the interviewer this. You will win him over. It is hard on the job to overcome bad negative call after call. I'm not going to lie. Make sure you want to help, and people can get very aggravated. It's a tough job, and that's why they pay you.

I have been in IT for over 15 years and at the moment I can't even get an entry level helpdesk position in a town where it's supposedly exploding in hi-tech jobs. I think it's due to my age, I am 42 and balding already, seems to be a big turn off for companies. They want young but at the same time they want experienced, I think they want more young than experience.
Beware, the IT field is very unforgiving once you enter your 40's, you are looked at as too old to learn new things and not having the same energy level to get the job done. I would advise you try to move to management positions when available because you won't last as a network engineer, administrator or programmer long once you start leaving your youthful years.

I have a CCNA, MCSE, A+, Net+, Security+ and so far I'm seeing entry level positions asking for bachelor's degree in CS plus my above certifications, all for the great salary of $15-$20/hr. I would steer away from the IT industry, too expensive, requires you to always be in school learning or getting updated certifications and the return for your investment is just not worth it.

Hi Dexter, I'm just reading this article and I saw your comment. It's been almost a year and I was curious how your IT job search went. I just graduated last week with an IT degree and I too will be entering the IT field without experience.

I understand your frustrations with the reading material. I have taken an A+ course after my company decided to close the doors after 20 years. I have 18 years of troubleshooting consumer electronics and thought that it would be an easy transition to the IT field. I have taken the 801 for A+ and passed and took the 802 and didn't. I'm feeling a little frustrated now. But I'm staying optimistic for a future career in IT.

Don't let the frustration get you down.
In fact, in IT frustration is a daily state of being. ;)
Try some test preparation software for the 802, if you haven't already.
Our MakeUseOf Deals often have really inexpensive online certification prep courses, too.

Work on campus in the computer lab some way. My first tech job was handing out computer stations to students. My next one was resetting passwords over the phone. Then registration of classes and online registration, that led to a job at CSC computer sciences corporation after college, for the credit bureau, also customer service and tech support of our software, and a career in finance. I got CSC by paying ten percent of my salary to a headhunter, 18,000 a year. I was broke, but had a great foot in the door. It's competitive.

If you have no IT background, get some sort of training. Avoid the for-profit schools that advertise on late-night TV. Either a good business school, community college, or state college are doable options.

If you have some IT background as a hobbyist, put together a work portfolio of what you've done. Think of it as a visual add-on to your resume to show hard proof that you are capable and creative. And get some A+ certifications.

Then, just like George Fayad said in his comment, "...don’t be picky about your first job." If it sucks that bad, just remember that you were looking for a job when you found this one. You can always find another one.

It's only taken me about 20 years to find the job I was looking for. I hope your journey is a bit shorter. ;)

I do IT certification training part time, including pretty much all the CompTIA programs (A+, Network+, Server+, Security+).

It's very difficult for me to say that A+ is a good entry point for IT skills. It's really more like a very long and comprehensive vocabulary lesson. You'll learn enough about computer hardware and parts of Windows that end users don't normally see to know why someone would want to do something, but not necessarily how to use that knowledge. The exam as it is presently implemented is woefully short on practical application of skills, so for example a candidate might learn three places in Windows to check the status of Windows Services, but not why one might want to change the state of a service. I've had students who passed the exam who still had difficulty navigating file systems.

Moreover, A+ covers general hardware and Windows (XP, Vista and 7), with tiny little bits of iOS and Android in the current objectives. That's moderately useful for someone doing hardware repair work, but it really doesn't address common applications such that a helpdesk might support, dealing with security issues in any but the broadest sense ("Use anti-virus software and keep it up to date!") or networking to any degree beyond basic vocabulary. The tests are meant to simulate the level of knowledge someone with six to twelve months of experience as a technician might have. This is frustrating from both the candidate standpoint, since my student often think that they're going to get some kind of hardcore PC repair bootcamp for their $2200 tuition, and also from an instructor standpoint, since my objective in class is to teach the exam objectives and not the skills a PC tech or support person truly needs.

Completing an A+ certification is still and accomplishment, and I'm not going to take that away from anyone who has completed it. There is a reason that A+ training manuals typically number around 1000 pages long. I know how hard some of my students have to study to get there, especially when their own professional life does not immediately require the skills involved in A+ training. I do wish that the exam more closely represented real-world knowledge (and yes, I've been a member of CompTIA and I've offered this feedback in the past).

Is there a better entry level certification for entry level IT? There was. Microsoft used to have a program called MCDST (Microsoft Certified Desktop Support Technician), which covered Windows and Microsoft Office applications. I thought it was a great program. Unfortunately, Microsoft discontinued the certification with the release of Windows Vista. It has been replaced with the MTA (Microsoft Technology Associate) credential, which is only available to students in accredited post-secondary education (i.e. community, trade, vocational or four-year college), which I feel limits its usefulness as a credential.

For helpdesk or support-type careers, there are also professional certifications from Microsoft for Desktop Windows (the Microsoft Certified Solutions Associate) or the MOS (Office Specialist). Both are probably better from the standpoint of learning immediately applicable skills, though I can honestly say in years of IT work, I've never seen an employer actually looking for anyone with an actual Office certification.

"Those numbers make IT help desk or tech support careers look like a good career path in IT."
IT looks like a good career path IF you have the skills NOW. If you start to acquire the skills now, by the time you're ready, the opportunities may be gone.

Some years ago there was a shortage of primary and secondary level teachers. Articles touting the great future of teaching jobs abounded. Many high school graduates went to college to obtain teaching degrees. Unfortunately, by the time the got those degrees, the market became saturated and the only jobs these graduates could get was in the service sector for minimum wage.

I've been working in IT Support for about 10 years now, starting out in a call center for a local ISP and eventually landing where I am now, one of two IT Generalists working under a single Sysadmin for a growing manufacturing facility.

The single greatest piece of advice I could give to a newcomer is don't be picky about your first job. The pay might suck, the hours might suck (i was working for $9/hr, 3 - 11pm) but even 6 months at an entry level IT job will be more important to your resume than graduating with a 4.0GPA with a computer science degree and zero work experience.

Every company I've worked for has valued work experience over proof of education. I'm 29 years old now and finally back in school to get my Associates in Computer Science. It is possibly that I may have advanced quicker in the field if I'd had a degree already. But as it stands, I'm making good money working for an excellent company and they are paying my tuition to advance my education. I know I'll have a job after school, unlike many of my classmates, and instead of stressing about my future, I can look forward to it.

With 20+ years of experience in IT, training, and technical trades, it is my desire to share what I've learned with anyone else willing to learn. I strive to do the best job possible in the best manner possible, and with a little humour. Keep in touch: Twitter - Facebook…